Opportunities for Young/Early-Career Scientists

One of APN’s four goals is improving the scientific and technical capabilities of nations in the region. It is vital that countries in the Asia-Pacific region have the capacity to conduct high-quality research that provides underpinning scientific support for policy-makers and policy-making processes.

CAPaBLE Programme

Opportunities under the CAPaBLE Programme

Under the CAPaBLE programme, thousands of young and early-career scientists have been provided with opportunities to develop their knowledge and capabilities in global change research. APN also provides funds through CAPaBLE projects to support young/early-career scientists to participate in international symposiums and present their research output.

Proposal Development Training Workshops

Proposal Development Training Workshops

PDTW at Yantai, China, 2011

One of APN’s four goals is improving the scientific and technical capabilities of nations in the region. It is vital that countries in the Asia-Pacific region have the capacity to conduct high-quality research that provides underpinning scientific support for policy-makers and policy-making processes. The APN believes that research must involve local scientists and that they must be given the capacity to continue their research, and analyse and utilise their research outcomes. Further APN strongly believes enhancing capacity at the young and early-career stage will provide sustainable benefits to the Asia and Pacific region. With this mission, APN introduces proposal development training workshop (PDTW) in 2008 as a main activity under the APN capacity development agenda. Since then, the APN has been conducting PDTW in various parts of the region. From 2014, PDTWs are held annually, rotating among APN sub-regions.

The primary aims of the workshop were to raise the APN profile among young and early-career scientists in the Asia-Pacific region in an inexpensive manner and to increase young scientists’ capacity to develop competitive proposals for submission to the APN’s annual call for proposals programmes.

Excepted outcome:

Raise awareness about the APN among young/early-career scientists and practitioners in Asia;

Increase the capacity of young/early-career scientists and practitioners to submit proposals to the APN and compete effectively in its competitive Annual Calls for Proposals (for research and capacity development) in key scientific areas for sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region;

Create opportunities for young/early-career scientists and practitioners to network, find research collaborators and build lasting professional relationships with their peers across national boundaries;

Enhance the participation of young scientists in regional research activities.

Empower APN Members and project leaders to provide their knowledge on the APN proposal submission process;

Trainees Skills Assessments:

The above chart illustrates the performance of trainees before and after 2014 and 2015 PDTWs. 1 (poor) to 4 (excellent) scales were used to measure the performance.

Mitra Award

The Mitra Award

Dr. Ashesh Proshad Mitra (1927-2007), APN former SPG Member for India

The Mitra Award for Global Change Research was established in 2010 in memory of Dr. Ashesh Proshad Mitra, APN SPG Member for India from 1996 to 2007. Dr. Mitra was a doyen in atmospheric research in India and was the recipient of the Padma Bhushan award by the Indian government in recognition of his distinguished service to the nation in the field of scientific research.

The award recognises outstanding young scientists conducting global change research in Asia-Pacific region. Every year at the IGM/SPG Meeting, young scientists from the host country are given the opportunity to present their research work in a poster session to scientists, practitioners and policy makers attending the meeting.

The posters will be judged by APN’s national Focal Points and Scientific Planning Group Members of its 22 member countries, and the winner is presented the Mitra Award for Global Change Research in recognition of their outstanding work.